The Desert Flows Assessment

Coconino Plateau Technical Advisory Committee April 28th, 2015

Kelly Mott LacroixElia Tapia

Abraham Springer

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The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center promotes understanding of critical state and regional water management and policy issues through research, community outreach and engagement, and public education.

Water RAPIDS (Research And Planning In Dryland Systems) - Help communities balance a secure water future for residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors with the water needs of natural areas.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER

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NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

WATERSHED ECOHYDROLOGY PROGRAM

The Watershed Ecohydrology program coordinates and conducts comprehensive research to inform ecosystem management practices that affect hydrologic systems.

The program provides best available science to decision makers, while educating the next generation of multi-disciplinary water resources professionals.

• One of 22 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives in North America

• Federal partnership (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led)

• Partners from federal, state, NGO and academic communities (in U.S. and Mexico) working together to ID and address science needs

• Focused on Springs, Streams, and Grasslands

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EVOLUTION OF THE DESERT FLOWS ASSESSMENT AND DATABASE

• 2010 Arizona Environmental Flow Needs Assessment

• 2012 Environmental Water Demands Database

• 2015 Revision/Expansion to create Desert Flows Database

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WHAT IS THE DESERT FLOWS DATABASE?

• Tabular database of available peer-reviewed articles and agency reports on the environmental flow needs and flow responses for flora and fauna in watersheds of the deserts of the U.S. and Mexico

• Spatial layer of reaches where flow needs/responses have been observed, modelled, or recommended

• Spatial layer of perennial streams for U.S. and Mexico within the DLCC

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GATHERING THE DATA

• Survey of land and water managers:

• >50% of respondents are not using water needs data to manage riparian or aquatic species and ecosystems

• Most important information • depth to groundwater,

• surface water flows, and

• legal or regulatory requirements for the species that are being considered

• Information needed

• links between groundwater depths and surface water flows and

• species abundance, age structure, and survivorship

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LOOKING FOR GAPS BY…

• Ecoregion

• State

• River

• Species

• Species studied

• Methods used

• Risks and stressors identified

• Human aspects studied

• Study elements

• Flora and fauna relationships

• Ecology and hydrology relationships

IDENTIFYING TRENDS IN…

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STUDIES BY STATE

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State No. of Studies % of Studies

Arizona, US 224 46

California, US 14 3

Colorado, US 1 0

New Mexico, US 106 22

Nevada, US 21 4

Texas, US 39 8

Baja California, MX 15 3

Chihuahua, MX 22 4

Coahuila, MX 14 3

Nuevo León, MX 3 1

Sonora, MX 28 6

Tamaulipas, MX 2 0

Total 489 100

EXTENT OF INVENTORY

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408 Studies

257 of flow needs and/or flow responses

48 of relationships between riparian vegetation and fauna

50 of human values

53 review of multiple studies/multiple study synthesis w/o “new” flow needs/responses information

Desert Rivers Studied

EXTENT OF INVENTORY

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33% of studies in AZ/NM and Plateau Region

Fewest studies (5% and 1%) in Mojave and Sierra Madre

83% of studies in the U.S.

224 studies in Arizona and 106 in New Mexico

Desert Rivers Studied

TYPES OF METHODS USED

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34 different methods used across 408 studies.

67% of methods used were “Qualitative”

Most commonly used method was describing the distribution of flora/fauna associated with water sources (37% of studies)

QUALITATIVE VS QUANTITATIVE STUDIES

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124

43

52

18

104

1

41

16

32

8

53

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A Z - N M M TN S / P L A TE A U

C H I H U A H U A N

M A D R E A N

M O J A V E

S O N O R A N

S I E R R A M A D R E

Qualitative Quantitative

QUALITY OF EVIDENCE FOR FLOW METHODS

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Category Quality of evidence

I

Strong evidence obtained from at least

one properly designed; randomized

controlled trial of appropriate size.

II-1

Evidence from well-designed

controlled trials without

randomization.

II-2

Evidence from a comparison of

differences between sites with and

without (controls) a desired species or

community.

II-3

Evidence obtained from multiple time

series or from dramatic results in

uncontrolled experiments.

III

Opinions of respected authorities

based on qualitative field evidence,

descriptive studies or reports of expert

committees.

IV

Evidence inadequate owing to

problems of methodology (e.g., sample

size, length or comprehensiveness of

monitoring) or conflicts of evidence.

CA Calibrated studies

NCA Not calibrated

QUALITY OF

METHODS USED

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STUDY ELEMENTS

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Vegetation surveys most common study element (20% of all studies)

Only 12% examined geomorphology, 3% climate change impacts, and 2% spring permanence

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9

29

4

37

40

22

10

10

22

1

38

5

24

6

31

14

12

22

2

22

22

6

4

1

16

12

3

6

14

6

1

3

1

1

2

3

5

1

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

AZ-NM Mtns/Plateau

Chihuahuan

Madrean

Mojave

Sonoran

Sierra Madre

Vegetation Survey

Fauna monitoring

Vegetation Mapping

Stream Permanence

Geomorphology

Water Quality

Climate Change Impacts

Spring Permanence

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RISKS AND STRESSORS

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FLOW NEEDS AND RESPONSES TO CHANGES IN FLOW

Biological Element

Natural Flow Regime Element

Ecology Relationship

Flow need• Depends upon

• Does not depend on

• Uses

• Associated with

Flow response• Influenced

• Enhanced

• Harmed

Hydrology

• Magnitude

• Frequency

• Duration

• Timing

• Rate of

Change

• Abundance

• Age structure

• Survivorship

• Reproduction

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FOR EXAMPLE

Cottonwood/Willow Forest abundance is associated with ~655 cfs every 10-25 years (community type found on fine-loamy over sandy cobbly soil)

Durkin, Paula, Esteban Muldavin, Mike Bradley, Stacey E. Carr,

and others. 1996. “A Preliminary Riparian/wetland Vegetation

Community Classification of the Upper and Middle Rio Grande

Watersheds in New Mexico.” In Desired Future Conditions for

Southwestern Riparian Ecosystems: Bringing Interests and

Concerns Together, RM-GTR-272:44–57. Albuquerque, New

Mexico: U.S. Forest Service.

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Study Subject Number of Studies Taxa

Populus 66

Veg.Tamarix 40

Prosopis 24

Salix 20

Gila 16

Fish

Hybognathus amarus 8

Rhinichthys osculus 8

Catostomus clarkii 7

Cyprinella lutrensis 6

Meda fulgida 6

Baccharis salicifolia 6

Veg.Platanus wrightii 6

Pluchea sericea 6

Castor canadensis 6 Mam.

Empidonax traillii 6 Bird

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RIPARIAN VEGETATION & TERRESTRAIL/AQUATIC SPECIES

associated

with

depends

upon

enhanced

by

harmed

by

influenced

by

not assoc.

with

not

harmed by

Total # of

Entries

Tamarix 48% 3% 8% 36% 1% 4% 75

Populus 53% 8% 4% 36% 53

Non-Native 100% 48

Prosopisis 43% 57% 46

Salix 52% 3% 45% 33

Native riparian

vegetation10% 52% 38% 29

Baccharis 9% 91% 23

Populus/Salix

Forest36% 50% 14% 14

Larrea tridenta 50% 50% 12

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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Significant areas with perennial streams, such as the Sierra Madre in Mexico and the White Mountains in the United States, that remain unexamined

• There is a need for further systematic evaluation of perennial and intermittent streams in the desert watersheds of the United States and Mexico and of flow needs and flow responses in the Sierra Madre in Mexico and the White Mountains in the United States.

• Spring layers currently only exist for the United States

• Complexity of groundwater law and policy presents different environmental flow needs challenges for managing springs than streams solely dependent on surface water management

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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Only one-third of the 312 species or genera have been studied more than once and only 15 genera (or 5%) have been studied five or more time

• Focus on working with the people who manage riparian and aquatic systems to determine if data on a handful of species are sufficient, or if a broader array of species need to be examined

• The majority of flow studies are qualitative

• Determine if qualitative studies provide sufficient information for land and water managers to establish and secure environmental flows

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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Climate change impacts are infrequently examined

• Studies that explicitly examine how species will be impacted by altered flow regimes due to changes in climate are needed

• Desert Flows Database is current through July 2015, but the long-term utility of this dataset is dependent upon periodic updates and maintenance

• The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative should establish a protocol for periodic updates

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NEXT STEPS 2016-2017

• Research on challenges to and best practices for riparian/aquatic ecosystem management in the face of climate change

• Create a Guidebook for Environmental Flows Management based on three themes: establishing, ensuring, and predicting environmental flows

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THANK YOU!

Kelly Mott Lacroixklacroix@email.arizona.edu

Water RAPIDS Water Resources Research Center

College of Agriculture and Life SciencesUniversity of Arizona

wrrc.arizona.edu/waterrapids

Report and database available online at:wrrc.arizona.edu/desertflowsdata